Directions. Read the following passage carefully. Then decide
the best answer to the each question. Choose A, B, C or D.
The Roar of the Thunderbirds
The ringing phone jarred me awake. “Hello,” I answered
sternly, wondering who would dare to call me so early on a
Saturday morning. “Get up, Maria. We’re going to an air show
today. Be ready in half an hour.” Before I could object, Raul
hung up. Raul usually took me to interesting events, but an air
show? At that moment, sleeping late seemed much more
appealing. Still, I got dressed and greeted Raul thirty minutes
later. “I expect a good show,” I warned.
As he drove to the field, he described the Thunderbirds, an
elite squadron of Air Force pilots. I listened in silence, too
sleepy and grumpy to be excited. When we arrived, I was
surprised to see a large number of people standing at the edge of
a big airfield. We found a place to stand in the growing crowd.
Six gigantic F-16 jets sat on the runway. The gleaming
white bodies of the fighter planes threw off a glare in the hot
sun, and I shielded my eyes with my hand. I could see a cockpit
covered by what looked like hard, black plastic. Raul called it a
“canopy.” The wings, nose, and tail of each jet were painted
with three stripes. The first was red, the next white, and the last
one a blue so dark that it looked like the night sky. Over each
right wing were the letters USAF.
Just then, an announcement crackled over a loudspeaker.
The show was beginning. Six pilots dressed in bright red
jumpsuits marched briskly onto the airfield. They climbed into
the cockpits and pulled on their helmets. Aloud BOOM shook
the crowd as the pilots started the jet engines. The squadron
leader pulled down his canopy, and the others followed in quick,
precise order. The pilots then turned to the crowd, gave a
thumbs-up sign, and the six jets roared off into the distance.
The squadron turned and headed back over the airfield in a
diamond formation. Streams of white smoke trailed behind them
in the brilliant blue sky. The jets flew so close together they
looked as though their wings were actually touching. They made
another pass over us, doing flips and rolls and dives. The
announcer called out the names of the maneuvers: “Five Card
Loop, Wing Rock-and-Roll, Cuban Eight.” Several times I
found myself gasping, thinking the jets were about to crash.
Back and forth, up and down, the F-16s roared overhead.
Without our noticing it, one jet peeled off from the others.
Suddenly it appeared out of nowhere, roaring over our heads.
The ground shook. It sounded like a bomb exploding behind us.
We screamed and then laughed in relief as he single jet
joined the others. Too soon, the show was over. The
Thunderbirds landed, taxied down the runway, and parked. The
crowd cheered wildly as the pilots approached, shaking hands,
saluting, and signing autographs. I applauded and cheered along
with everyone else.
Raul looked over at me and smiled. “Well, was this worth
getting up for?”
1. Why was Maria irritated with Raul in the first
paragraph?
A. He did not give her enough time to get ready.
B. He forgot to call the night before.
C. He woke her up too early.
D. He usually took her to boring places.
2. Which of the following best describes Maria’s original
attitude toward the air show?
A. reluctant
B. enthusiastic
C. neutral
D. cheerful
3. Which of the following sentences uses descriptive
language?
A. Before I could object, Raul hung up.
B. Raul called it a “canopy.”
C. Back and forth, up and down, the F-16s roared overhead.
D. Too soon, the show was over.
4. The phrase, so dark that it looked like the night sky, is
an example of —
A. simile
B. metaphor
C. common language
D. personification
5. The sentence, Six pilots dressed in bright red jumpsuits
marched briskly onto the airfield, uses —
A. context clues
B. a figure of speech
C. main points
D. precise words
6. Which of the following is the implied main idea of the
passage?
A. Sleeping late is fun, but so is watching an air show.
B. The writer was surprised at how much she enjoyed the air
show.
C. Air shows are loud and draw large crowds.
D. The Thunderbirds are a popular attraction, and people come
a long way to see them.
7. Why did the crowd laugh when the jet flew in from
behind them?
A. They were glad to realize they were safe.
B. They thought the pilot had lost his way.
C. They were surprised that the other jets had forgotten the
single jet.
D. The announcer had just told them a funny story.
8. What are the Thunderbirds trained to do?
A. take turns flying
B. watch the crowd
C. perform precise stunts
D. create extreme noise
9. Which of the following words describe the jets?
A. gleaming white bodies
B. hard, black plastic
C. wings, nose, and tail
D. streams of white smoke
10. What answer will the writer most likely give to Raul’s
question in the last paragraph?
A. “It was pretty good.”
B. “It was too scary.”
C. “I’m glad I got up.”
D. “I like to sleep late.”
Wow!! You
have a
beautiful
smile..
Please show
me your
bright smile
all the time…
Answer Key
1 . C (implied main idea)
2 . A (implied main idea)
3 . C (descriptive language)
4 . B (descriptive language)
5 . D (descriptive language)
6 . B (implied main idea)
7 . A (implied main idea)
8 . C (implied main idea)
9 . A (descriptive language)
1 0 . C (implied main idea)